The Fifth Corner Press is now reading full-length poetry collections for one 2027 publication.
The selected collection will join our 2027 publishing list alongside our fiction titles. We are looking for a manuscript that feels complete as a book
We welcome literary, experimental, speculative, gothic, surreal, and hybrid approaches.
Collection requirements
- Full-length poetry collection
- Previously unpublished as a complete book
- Individual poems may have appeared previously in journals, magazines, or anthologies
- Include table of contents
- International submissions are welcome
- Simultaneous submissions are welcome; please withdraw promptly if the collection is accepted elsewhere
Please submit the complete complete, a brief author biography, and, if useful, a short note about the collection.
Publication
One collection will be selected for publication by The Fifth Corner Press in 2027.
Authors selected for publication are not charged any publication costs. The press covers editing, book design, production and printing, distribution, and standard marketing and publicity. There are no author contribution or publishing fees.
Our titles are distributed internationally and made available through major booksellers, including Barnes & Noble, Indigo, independent bookstores, and booksellers worldwide.
Griffin Poetry Prize
Following publication, The Fifth Corner Press intends to submit the selected collection for consideration for the Griffin Poetry Prize, provided the book and author meet the Prize’s eligibility requirements for that year.
Reading fee
$39 CAD
The submission fee is a reading fee only and does not contribute toward publication costs.
Response time
Please allow up to three months for consideration. Because The Fifth Corner Press publishes only a small number of carefully selected titles each year, this reading period is intentionally limited.
The Fifth Corner Journal selects one poet per issue.
A single poem will be chosen for publication in Issue 4, placed at the close of the journal as part of its final movement, the CODA.
The selected poet will be featured with an in-depth interview.
Prize $500 CAD Publication in Issue 4 of The Fifth Corner Journal Feature/Article. Publication in annual anthology CODA.
Guidelines
- Submit 1 poem per entry
- Writers may submit multiple poems as separate entries
- Unpublished work only (including self-published)
- No strict length requirement; we favor precision and restraint
- Simultaneous submissions are permitted (please notify us if accepted elsewhere)
Submissions are considered in relation to the issue as a whole.
One poem. One poet. One placement. The CODA.
Dark Fiction Prize A $1,500 CAD prize for outstanding short fiction.
Deadline: October 30, 2026.
Open to atmospheric, dark, and literary fiction.
We are drawn to work that unsettles, stories that linger, distort, and resist easy resolution. We welcome dark, speculative, and cross-genre fiction.
One winning story will receive $1,500 CAD and publication in Issue No. 4 (Winter 2026).
Guidelines:
- Up to 4,000 words
- Multiple submissions are welcome; each entry must be submitted separately and includes its own reading fee
- Previously unpublished work only
- Simultaneous submissions are allowed (please notify us if accepted elsewhere)
- Remove your name from the manuscript for blind review
By submitting, you confirm that your work is original, unpublished, and submitted in accordance with these guidelines.
All submissions are read with care and intention.